July 15/24 11:26 am - Derek Gee Interview - Still in the Hunt After Week 2 of the Tour

Posted by Editoress on 07/15/24
 

Week 2 of the Tour de France just ended, and Canada's Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) remains in the top-10 overall, sitting ninth after two of the hardest days of the Tour, with Stages 14 and 15 ending at the top of Hors Category (Beyond Category) climbs. Monday is a rest day, and then the riders faced the final six days of racing. Derek took a few minutes with us to talk about his race so far and going into the final week.

Canadian Cyclist: You managed to finish Week 2 still in the top-10. The last two stages were particularly tough; how worried were you about them, and what was your strategy?

Derek Gee: For sure, I was pretty worried about the last two stages; those are some long, long climbs. I knew that with the GC not settled, they would be racing full gas, so I was super worried about them. So it was about getting to the last climb with the [GC] group and then ride your own pace and see where you end up.

CC: While the Tour still has some significant climbs left, it looks like the two hardest days are done - are you feeling more confident about your abilities to hold on to that top-10 for the rest of the race?

DG: I'm definitely feeling more confident about the top ten, but it's going to be a big fight, I think. I think we are all super close in the eighth to 11th places [1:13 separate them on GC]. That's going to be a really, really hard fight. There could be a massive shake up and one of us will come out 11th, and that would be a tough spot to end in if you are in the fight for GC the whole race.

CC: You've been close to the front on some of the biggest and most historic climbs of the Tour, going through massive crowds; what was it like?

DG: The crowd has been amazing on the climbs. Where you can't see the road, it's a pretty special feeling, especially on some of these more famous climbs, like the Tourmalet. You're suffering, but looking back on it, I think you can appreciate how special it is.

CC: Are there still any specific stages you are targeting for wins, or has the plan pivoted to protecting your GC position?

DG: For the last week I'm going to try and protect GC, but you never know. Maybe if I lose time, then you've got to go on the offensive to protect it. I'm not really sure yet, but I'm just going to enjoy my rest day and then think about the last week.

Derek Gee Interview - One Week Into the Tour